Former Liverpool and England striker Emile Heskey believes Trent Alexander-Arnold should consider a move to Bayern Munich as the defender’s opportunities at Real Madrid continue to decline.
Heskey said the England international’s attacking strengths outweighed the criticism directed at his defensive ability, while admitting he would also like to see Alexander-Arnold return to Liverpool.
“Bayern Munich would be a good option for Trent Alexander-Arnold,” Heskey told Eldorado. “The Bundesliga is extremely competitive and he would be at the biggest club there, which would be great for him, although I would love to see him go back to Liverpool.”
He added: “Despite all the criticism we talk about regarding his defensive ability, his positives outweigh his negatives. What he offers when he gets forward and contributes to attacks goes far beyond those criticisms.”
Alexander-Arnold joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2025 after deciding not to renew his Liverpool contract. The move ended a relationship with the English club that had lasted almost 20 years, after he joined their academy at the age of six.
His first season in Spain was disrupted by injuries and he failed to establish himself as a regular starter. He played 21 La Liga matches during the 2025-2026 season, starting 14 of them.
His position has become more difficult to secure during the current 2026-2027 campaign, with Real Madrid’s coaching staff using other options at right-back.
Manager Jose Mourinho has made Federico Valverde his first choice, followed by Denzel Dumfries, limiting Alexander-Arnold’s playing time.
The 28-year-old left-back enjoyed an outstanding spell at Liverpool, making 354 appearances for the first team, scoring 23 goals and providing 86 assists.
He helped the club win the Champions League in 2019, the Premier League in 2020 and 2025, as well as the FA Cup, League Cup, Club World Cup and European Super Cup.
Real Madrid paid 10m euros to secure his arrival and make him available for the Club World Cup, even though his Liverpool contract was due to expire only a few days later.
Alexander-Arnold made 30 appearances in his first season with Real Madrid, starting 22 matches, but produced inconsistent performances. After only a year, the club concluded it needed to rely more heavily on Dumfries in the position, while Federico Valverde continued to demonstrate his ability to contribute from the right.
The move had not developed as the player had imagined. A few months before joining Real Madrid, Alexander-Arnold had spoken about his ambition to win the Ballon d’Or. Instead, doubts now surround his future in the Spanish capital.
Neither the player nor Real Madrid is currently considering ending their relationship. However, reports suggest that a lack of regular football could lead both parties to reassess Alexander-Arnold’s future at the club in the medium term.
